A new report from hotels.com finds Canadians are looking for trips to Spain, as well as football rivalry games and cool, Nordic adventures.
For the upcoming Civic Holiday (Aug. 1-3), searches for Mallorca are up 85%, while searches for Madrid are up 45%. Domestically, searches are up 40% for the London, Ontario ribfest and up 20% for the 50th annual Festival of Friends in Hamilton, Ontario.
Mallorca, Spain. Chloe-Lefleur/unsplash photo
For Labour Day, searches for Reykjavik, Iceland are up 100%, while searches for Copenhagen have jumped 90%. On the domestic front, Regina has seen a 330% increase in searches ahead of the iconic Labour Day Classic CFL game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The cities of Kamloops (+175%) and Hamilton (+105%) are also trending.
TRAVELLERS LOOKING BEYOND EUROPE
As Europe continues to grapple with overtourism and the new Entry/Exit System (EES), travellers aren’t abandoning bucket-list experiences — they’re looking beyond traditional hotspots in search of cultural discovery, fewer crowds and better value for their travel dollar.
New Flight Centre & YouGov data highlights:
Local fisherman in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Jim Byers Photo
- Japan (+52%), Cambodia (+50%), Vietnam (+42%) and China (+20%) are among Flight Centre Canada’s fastest growing Asia destinations, as travellers seek memorable experiences with stronger value.
- 49% of Canadians say affordability is the biggest factor influencing destination choice, looking beyond airfare to what their money can buy once they arrive.
- 40% consider East and Southeast Asia among the world’s most adventurous regions, driving interest in destinations beyond the usual vacation circuit.
- 78% of Canadians define adventure travel through discovery, including experiencing different cultures, trying new foods and exploring unfamiliar destinations.
- 93% of Canadians familiar with overtourism are adjusting their travel plans, including travelling during shoulder season (47%), visiting less popular destinations (41%) and prioritizing local businesses (49%).
COTTAGE/CABIN/LAKE TRIP COSTS ACROSS CANADA
The August long weekend is Canada’s biggest cottage getaway, and new research reveals Nova Scotia is the most expensive place to spend it – $1,347 for a group of four over two nights, ahead of Muskoka, the region most people assume is the premium product.
With the August long weekend driving Google searches for “airbnb cottage” up 143% and “lake house rental” up 133% this past month, Casinos Analyzer Canada priced the full trip from 2026 listings across six of the country’s best-known lake regions, including cottage rental, fuel, groceries, drinks and firewood.
Kayaking on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. Photo Courtesy Nova Scotia Tourism.
The full ranking (group of 4, 2 nights):
- Nova Scotia — $1,347
Cottage rental runs about $1,018 — the highest of the six, and enough to make the “affordable” Maritimes the priciest region overall. The short drive from Halifax is the cheapest in the country, but it can’t offset the rent, and NSLC’s beer and wine are the steepest too. - Muskoka, ON — $1,308
Rental sits around $974, second only to Nova Scotia. Ontario’s cottage-country reputation holds up on price, but the famous premium is smaller than most assume once it’s a weekend rental rather than a purchase. - Okanagan, BC — $1,259 The cottage is cheaper here (~$838), but the 780 km round trip from Vancouver makes fuel the biggest regional cost of any region at $139. Cheap rental, expensive drive — a near-perfect trade-off.
- Kawartha Lakes, ON — $1,235 Rental of about $910 and a short Toronto drive make this the sensible middle. Nothing about it is extreme, which is exactly why it lands mid-table.
- Laurentians, QC — $1,192 The cottage runs ~$872, and a quick hop from Montreal keeps fuel low. Slightly cheaper groceries help make Quebec the quiet value pick of the east.
- Sylvan Lake, AB — $1,184 The cheapest weekend of the six, on rental of ~$860 and Alberta’s low alcohol prices (private retail beats every provincial monopoly). A short Calgary drive seals it.
UBER HOTELS COMES TO CANADA
A room at the Westley Hotel in Calgary. Jim Byers Photo
Uber has officially rolled out hotel bookings directly in the app across Canada. Canada is only the second market in the world to get this feature (following its launch in the US).
Through a partnership with Expedia Group, Canadians can now search, book, and secure rides to a wide selection of hotels, which will ultimately grow to more than 700,000 properties in destinations around the globe, all without leaving the Uber app. Highlights include:
- One-App Travel Booking: Book your boutique hotel downtown or a cozy spot outside the city, and seamlessly coordinate your door-to-door rides in the same app flow.
- Earn While You Stay: Uber One members get up to 10% back in Uber credits on bookings, which they can instantly spend on late-night Uber Eats or their ride home.
- The Full Travel Suite: This launch joins other newly active features designed to make travel seamless, including Travel Mode (which acts as an in-app personal concierge guiding you through airports and recommending local favorites), Uber One International (allowing your benefits to travel with you globally), and One Search (allowing you to search for places, food, and items across Uber and Uber Eats at the same time).
